Pokémon Duel Comes to iOS & Android Devices

Step aside Pokémon GO, there is a new Pokemon game in town! Pokemon Duel has just been released on iOS and Android and sees your favourite Pokémon played in a slightly different way. In Pokémon Duel, your objective is to deploy your Pokémon figures on the game board and move them to the goal in your opponent’s territory. To win the game, you have to reach your goal before your opponent reaches their’s! It sounds like a cross between Pokémon and Chess, but I like both so I’m keen to try it out!

In this game, your deck of Pokemon fight against an opponent’s deck. That’s right, you will have to create, build and manage a deck of six Pokemon, similar to that of the Trading Card game. You are initially given six Pokémon during the tutorial but you can collect and win others to create more powerful decks. You can of course evolve said Pokémon to increase their performance.

As mentioned before, there is a tutorial, which is lengthy but it is very informative and takes you through the basics. In essence, both teams have six Pokemon and the goal is to get one Pokemon from your side of the board, to your opponents side. Sounds simple but there are many differing factors that make this a very strategic game. First off, different Pokémon allow you to travel different distances, like one, two or three spaces. You then also have to consider the spaces your opponent occupies and with which Pokemon. To steal the space your opponent is occupying, you will need to battle with them and this is done with a spin of the wheel. The wheel will show different attacks and also ‘miss’. Hit stop once the wheel is spinning and hope you land a higher powered attack or disable move than your opponent. Your Charmander gets ember (30 atk) and your opponent gets a miss, you knock their Pokemon out and they go into a graveyard of sorts. A maximum of two Pokemon can be in the graveyard at any given time so when your third goes into the graveyard, your first comes back into play. There are other factors to consider but I’ll let you figure those out as you play!

As with pretty much all games now, the game requires an Internet connection at all times so you can play online and access the shop, whereby you can purchase items with real money to help you progress in the game. You can battle with friends, play online in various leagues based on your level and if you win, you are rewarded with coins, gems, chests and more. Chests work on a time basis so the rarer the chest, the longer it takes to unlock, unless you use gems to speed it up.

Visually the game looks very nice and the Pokémon look beautiful! The game is challenging and as you progress, your opponents become even harder to beat. The requirement for a good deck is a must, so careful planning is required before hand. I haven’t noticed an advantage for Pokemon types such as water beating fire which is a shame. Hopefully in an update? The level of loot is pretty good and keeps you engaged. Will this be more popular than Pokemon GO? No way BUT it is something new, that Pokémon fans will love and it challenges the mind. I’ve played several games now, modified my deck, evolved a Rattata, increased my Pokémon’s levels and have a nice chest that in 24 hours, will hopefully drop something sweeeeet!

The game is available on iOS and Android devices. It requires about 500mb storage and it’s free. I haven’t played enough to see if it’s a pay to win game but I’m enjoying it and would recommend you try it out!